Condition ratings
Does the RICS wording that says get quotes before you commit apply to condition rating 2?
No. In the Level 3 description that sentence sits with rating 3: defects that are serious and/or need repairing, replacing or investigating urgently, with written quotations before legal commitment. Rating 2 is defects that need repairing or replacing but are not serious or urgent, and the property must be maintained in the normal way. You may still want a quote. The standard does not tell you the purchase depends on it.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Buyers promote every rating 2 into a rating 3 by asking for the rating 3 paperwork. That is not what the text says. A long list of rating 2 items can still be a lot of maintenance. Add them up from quotes if you want a negotiating figure, and say they are rating 2. Do not tell the seller the standard required those quotes before exchange.
Rating 1 is “no repair is currently needed” and also “maintained in the normal way”. The difference from rating 2 is that rating 2 does need a repair at some point, just not an urgent one. If you think the surveyor has underrated something, ask them why it is not a 3. Do not relabel it yourself.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which items are 2, and which are 3?
- For each 3, what quotation or investigation do you say is needed before commitment?
- For the 2s, are you advising repairs at all, or only noting them?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep rating 2 and rating 3 apart in any letter to the seller.
- Get written quotes where the report has used rating 3.
- If you want prices for rating 2 items, call that your own caution, not a RICS instruction.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Can a rating 2 still be expensive?
Yes. “Not urgent” is not “cheap”. A whole roof of rating 2 work can cost more than a small rating 3 repair. The quotes, not the colour, tell you.
Does “maintained in the normal way” mean you can ignore a 2?
No. It means ordinary upkeep, and the defect still needs dealing with in time. It does not mean before exchange by order of the standard.